Two Kinds of Jealousy by ibn Qayyim

There are two kinds of jealousy: to be jealous for something and to be jealous of something. Being jealous for your lover means that you care for him/her and you do not want anything to come between that person and yourself or to compete with you. The feeling of jealousy for the lover always comes with the feeling of being jealous of whatever is in competition withyou. The first kind of jealousy is praised, as the lover dislikes having partners in their love. This feeling is more likeable in loving the Messenger and the scholars, and even more likeable in loving the one, who most deserves our love, the Exalted! The idea of not wanting to have another compete with him/her intheir love is envy. The desirable form of jealousy on Hisbehalf is when the lover is jealous of his/her love for Him from being turned away to another one. Also, not wanting it to be known by others, thinking that others will spoil it, being jealous that his/her deeds may stem from parts that are not for his/her love, or being jealous because of hypocrisy. As a whole, jealousy requires that his/her condition, deeds, and actions all be for the sake of Allah. To be jealous that his/her time will bewasted in doing something else other than pleasing Allah is the state of the lover. This jealousy comes from the side of the servant and it is being jealous of his/her competitor who hinders and prevents the pleasure of his/her lover, the Exalted. While His lover, the Exalted is jealous for him/her through hating thatthe servant's heart should turn away from loving Him to love other than Him. That is why the jealousy of Allah is when the servant does whatever is forbidden. And out of His jealousy, He forbade shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc. whether committed openly or secretly. Because all mankind is His and He is jealous for them exactly as a master is jealous for his slaves. Allah is jealous for His servants to love other than Himin case this love will spur them on to commit sins.• The person whose love and reverence for Allah in hisheart prevents him from disobeying Him, Allah willvenerate him in the hearts of creatures so that they willnot humiliate him.• If the roots of knowledge hold onto the heart, the tree of love will grow in it and if it becomes stronger it will bear the fruits of obedience and it will keep on giving its fruit at all times by the Leave of its Lord.• The first ranks among people are those who do as Allah says, which means, "Remember Allah with muchremembrance. And glorify His Praises morning andafternoon [the early morning (Fajir and asr prayers]."(AI-Ahzab, 33:41-42)The middle rank is as Allah says,"He it is Who sends Salat (His blessings)on you, and His angels too (ask Allah to bless andforgive you), that He may bring you out from darkness(of disbelief and polytheism) into light (of Belief andIslamic Monotheism)." (AI-Ahzab, 33:43)The lowest rank is as Allah says, "Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be "Sa/am: Peace (i.e. the angels will say to them: Sa/amu 'A/aikum)!" (AI-Ahzab, 33:44)• The land of nature is wide and accepts whatever isgoing to be planted in it. If you plant a tree of faith andpiety, it will give the sweetness of the Hereafter and ifyou plant a tree of ignorance and desire, it will give bitter fruit.Return to Allah and seek Him in your eye, ear, heart, and tongue and do not forget to seek Him in these four ways.Whoever obeys Him is doing so concerning these four and whoever does not, is also doing so by means of these four.The fortunate one is he who hears, sees, speaks, and attacks while seeking the pleasure of Allah and the miserable one is the one who does so seeking his own pleasure and desires.The example of obedience that grows and increases, is like a seed that you plant, which becomes a tree, then bears fruit,and you ate this fruit and planted their seeds again and whenever the tree bears fruit you eat it and plant its seeds. The exact example can be applied to sins and the way they increase. There is an old proverb and the wise will understand it. It means: the reward for good deeds is that they are followed by other good deeds, and the punishment for bad deeds is that they are followed by other bad deeds.It is not strange that a servant lowers himself before Allah,worships, and does not become bored from serving Him because he needs Him. The strange matter is that Allah shows love to His servant by all means through granting blessings and rewards while He does not need him.